1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mailboxes. More particularly, the present invention relates to mailboxes that reduce the amount of packaging material required to ship and store a plurality of mailboxes, thereby also reducing the overall volume of cargo containing such mailboxes, as well as the space required to display the mailboxes in a retail setting.
2. Description of Related Art
Mailboxes are commonly sold in a variety of outlets ranging from craft shops to department stores and home centers. When mailboxes are shipped to a retailer, they are usually boxed individually for display on the retailer""s shelf. While mailboxes come in many sizes and shapes, they are often at least twenty inches long, eight inches high, and seven inches wide. With their bulky size, mailboxes rapidly take up cargo space during shipping and then use up valuable display space on retailers, shelves.
The prior art contains numerous examples of mailboxes having telescopic components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,992,640 to Steen discloses a telescopic mailbox that will extend to receive unusually long packages. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,781,964 to Ledgerwood discloses a mailbox having an inner sleeve that extends outward to reach a mail carrier sitting behind the wheel of an automobile. Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,600,143 and 5,009,366 to Harlow, Jr. et al. and van Druff, Jr. et al. respectively, show mailbox inserts for assisting in removing mail from the box.
However, the prior art still requires individual packaging of mailboxes. Accordingly, there remains room for improvement and variation within the art of mailboxes.
One object of the invention is to provide a mailbox that can be nested with a like mailbox for minimizing shipping and display space requirements.
These and other objects are accomplished by a nestable mailbox comprising a body having a pair of spaced side walls, a top connected to the side walls, and a bottom panel connected to the side walls opposite the top, the body having a first end defining a first surface area and a second end defining a second surface area. The body is tapered from the first end to the second end such that the first surface area is larger than the second surface area, enabling the second end to be received in another mailbox constructed substantially identically to the nestable mailbox.
The foregoing objects are also accomplished by a method of packaging a plurality of mailboxes, comprising the steps of providing each mailbox with a body having a pair of spaced side walls, a top connected to the side walls, and a bottom panel connected to the side walls opposite the top, the body having an open first end defining a first surface area and a second end defining a second surface area, the body being tapered from the first end to the second end such that the first surface area is larger than the second surface area; forming a nested arrangement of mailboxes by positioning the second end of one mailbox into the first end of another mailbox; and placing the nested arrangement of mailboxes in a container.
The mailbox and method of the present invention thus overcome the high shipping, display, and storage space requirements attendant to conventional mailboxes.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description of the preferred embodiment.